2022 World Tour – Dubrovnik Croatia
Hello from Dubrovnik, my twenty-second stop on the trip and my 56th country.
Below is the standard summary:
– Cool Ranch Doritos: No
– Thai ATM Card Works: Yes
– Thai Debit Card Works: Yes
– Thai Internet Purchase Works: Yes
– USA Credit Card Works: Didn’t try
– Worldwide Telephone/Data/SMS eSIM Works: Yes
– Spanish SIM Card Works: Didn’t try
– Magic Jack Works: Didn’t try
– VPN Works: Didn’t try
– COVID Compliance Chronicles: No Requirements
– Internet Works: Yes
– Drone Flights: Strict EU Regulations, test and registration
– Cost of Living: $$$
– Currency: 7.34 Kuna = $1 USD
– Language Issues: None
Your Short History Lesson:
As with the other countries along the way, Croatia went from ancient times through the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, a Kingdom, ruled by Venice for 4 centuries, the Ottomans, the Austrians and finally partnered with Hungary until 1918. At the end of WWI it was incorporated into Yugoslavia which was dominated by Serbia and all that comes from that. In 1991 Croatia severed ties with the collapsing Yugoslavia and proclaimed independence. This triggered the Croatian War of Independence, with mass exodus of civilians and ethnic cleansing. Wars in bordering countries left the region in a state of turmoil through the 1990s. Croatia joined the EU in 2013 but retained its own currency. I found that the name Croatia is not used internally, rather ‘Republika Hrvatska’. The Internet top level domain is .hr and license plates also use HR reflecting that name. I asked my tour guide about the history of the name and she said it’s not clear where it originated, but it essentially means Croatia in the Croatian language.
Croatia was a must-see for me on the trip for two reasons: Dubrovnik for its history and use as the city of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, and Zagreb as the headquarters of Rimac Automobili, makers of the fastest electric car on Earth. More on Rimac in the Zagreb update.
An addition to the country history lesson is a note on the Siege of Dubrovnik. During the Croatian War of Independence, the Yugoslav People’s Army attacked the region from October 23 to December 6, 1991. Dubrovnik, including the UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site of the Old Town, was bombarded, provoking international condemnation against Serbia and Montenegro. Between 82 and 88 civilians were killed in the city and 11,000 buildings were damaged. I saw a plaque memorializing photojournalist Pavo Urban who was killed during the shelling.
The road from Budva to Dubrovnik goes north, along the east coast of the Adriatic, but my bus went way, way inland around some rather large bays, with gorgeous views all the way. I spotted a ferry across one of the narrow points but it wasn’t big enough for a bus so around we go. Easy stampy-stamp process as I left Montenegro and entered Croatia.
The bus station is on the beautiful modern marina where the giant cruise ships dock, along with large ferries handling the regional sea ports. I rolled towards my apartment for about 20 minutes and found it easily due to great communication with the host. The apartment is large but the shower stall has one of those ultra-thin shower curtains that somehow manages to constantly try to stick itself to you. I gave up and just pushed it to the side, luckily there’s a drain in the bathroom floor.
Enjoyed a tuna sandwich and local draft beer in a cafe just down the street as I looked over the marina. I love this place already.
My apartment is on the bus route that goes over the hill and down into the Old Town. I tried to buy a 3 day pass at a kiosk which is normally the way it works but this one didn’t have any. I spotted a bus stop and got on, paid cash to the driver and went all the way to the Pire Gate. This is where the modern city ends and you walk across the drawbridge into the Old Town. The area is flooded with tourists even at 8pm. I bought the “Dubrovnik Card” that includes entry to several attractions and museums and 6 bus tickets.
While reading the following, keep in mind that it is clear blue skies, no breeze and sweltering hot. The kind of hot where you keep maneuvering to shady spots as you walk. With me? OK.
Taking a deep breath I crossed the bridge and went back in time 400 years. Now, I enjoy the places I visit, to a greater or lesser extent, but let me tell you, this place is simply magical. I took 168 pictures and it’s going to be hard to figure out which ones to show you. The bridge takes you down the main street towards the water, paved in marble. Lined with shops and restaurants, it looks great lit up at night. There are several Game of Thrones souvenir shops and you wouldn’t believe everything they can sell with some GoT related image on it. I wandered towards the pier, taking lots of pictures, as this is where a lot of GoT activity happened. I sat down at a little one-man bar at the tip of the pier, listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan blues, drinking a local beer. I walked back another route through very narrow streets until I turned a corner and came upon the set of stairs that Sersi walked down during her Walk of Shame. That’s just a big Whoa! in your mind when it clicks.
I looped around and ended up in a residential part of the old town, yes thousands of people still live in these millennia-old stone buildings. I passed a young guy, he pointed to the Rimac logo on my shirt and we talked about all things Rimac. He’s been doing finance in Latin America and is trying to work with Rimac on entering that market. It was getting late so I jumped on the bus back home.
The next day I walked to a closer bus stop and got on, but instead of heading to the Old Town, it looped around and headed Out Of Town past the marina all the way around the river outlet north of the city. I decided well, I may as well enjoy the ride. The bus driver parked the bus at the end of the route and as the only person still on board, he waved me into a cafe where he got a coffee. We went all the way back into town and finally ended up at the Pire Gate.
One of the things you get with the Dubrovnik Card is entrance to the City Wall. This turns out to be the walkway all around the city perimeter on the top of the wall system. Up and down stairs, across spans, into reinforced turrets. In the baking sun, I’m sweating profusely. This is where most of my pictures are from – every corner, every overlook either over the water or over the city was simply stunning! I stopped in at the Maritime Museum, not great but cool inside. Note that you cannot exit and try to get back in, much to the dismay of a grumpy Scottish couple who “needed to go for lunch.” in the middle of their walk.
The wide streets and narrow alleys are lined with restaurants and I settled on one in an alley in the shade only about 2 meters wide. I had 4 cheese spaghetti and a glass of really good local red wine and cooled down. I had to leave about 5 minutes early when a group of 6 German smokers sat right next to me, with a dozen empty tables available. Ugh.
I bought a ticket to the popular 3-island boat tour for the next day, 11am – 6pm. Swimming, relaxing, walking in the island villages. On-board lunch and all of the alcohol and soft drinks you want. The ticket seller plays the my-card-machine-is-broken game so cash it is.
The next day I got the bus again and went to the pier for the boat. This is a rather large wooden boat with 2 decks and could handle about 100 people. I sat on the top at a table with two Irish couples. We stopped at 3 islands, as advertised, each with a little village where we could walk or go swimming in the pebbly beach. I only went up to my knees as the water is still quite cold. I had the veggie lunch on the boat, quite good with balsamic roasted pepper / zucchini / eggplant and coleslaw, really excellent and far better than what I was expecting. The last island stop was 2.5 hours which frankly is too long. I walked all the way up and down the long harbour walkway, then sat in a cafe and had a caprese salad and a huge bottle of cold water and nearly fell asleep in my chair. We headed back to Dubrovnik in 2 meter rolling seas, the boat was up and down and up and down but I managed to keep my food down.
So you may have come to the conclusion that I enjoyed this place. A million times yes. You must come here before you die. If you’re within a thousand miles, get yourself here soon. Maybe come in the spring or fall for slightly better temperatures, but this is a must-see. Bring your camera and re-watch all of Game of Thrones so you can spot all of the filming locations.
Next Stop: Split, Croatia.
